A Darker Evil
by SpeedlesChic
Summary: Bruce Wayne struggles with his identity. Bruce or Batman? Meanwhile Batman finds himself up against a new villain that challenges him not just physically...


_**Whom You Might Trust**_

_Nowhere can a secret keep_

_Always secret, dark and deep,_

_Half so well as in the past,_

_Buried deep to last, to last._

_Keep it in your own dark heart._

_Otherwise the rumors start._

_After many years have been buried _

_Secrets over which you worried,_

_No confidant can they betray_

_All the words you didn't say._

_Only you can then exhume _

_Secrets safe within the tomb_

_Of memory, of memory_

_Within the tomb of memory._

_- The Book of Counted Sorrows, Dean R. Koontz_

The door to the Resolution Psychiatry Offices in Gotham City opens and closes. A man dressed in a white dress shirt, black tie, and a pair of black dress pants makes his way up to the front desk; you could hear his black dress shoes clicking against the hardwood floors. He runs his hand through his thick brown and clears his throat catching the secretary's attention. "Ah Mr. Wayne so nice to see you again," Tonya Greenfield said with a smile as she handed Bruce Wayne a pen to sign in. Yes, Bruce Wayne the billionaire and owner of Wayne Enterprises. "Have a seat Mr. Wayne and Dr. Brenan will be right with you." He nods and finds a seat.

The office wasn't busy at all today unlike when he first showed up. There wasn't a seat to be had. Bruce was thankful this time, because everyone had been staring at him like he had two heads. Why he wasn't sure. He was just like anyone one else, well not quit. His thoughts were broken upon hearing the door open. "Mr. Wayne you can come on back now," Dr. Lauren Brenan announced. Bruce stood up and smiled before walking ahead of her into the back offices.

Lauren Brenan's office was decorated like a day at the beach, with the soft blue walls with pale green and cream accents. Any patient walking into her office would feel at ease, except Bruce Wayne. To Lauren, he seemed more nervous than their first meeting. "Have a seat Mr. Wayne and we'll get started."

"Please, call me Bruce," he said with a smile sitting down in a chair a crossed from Lauren's desk.

"Alright Bruce, shall we get started?" His smile faded and he nodded his head. Bruce watched Lauren get her things together then watched her as she opened her yellow legal pad to begin her writing. "Okay, so Bruce why are you here? I know we talked somewhat about it during our first meeting, but never got a chance to really get an answer."

Bruce's eyes scanned the office. _'Who am I?'_ he said to himself. _'Bruce Wayne or Batman?'_ He couldn't avoid the question any longer. "Who I am," he says nonchalantly; he smiled at her and she smiled back.

"You sound pretty confident you know who you are. So how about you tell me… Who is Bruce Wayne?" _'Batman,'_ he said immediately to himself. What was he going to say? He started to feel uncomfortable. These walls had ears; he looked around and saw no tape recorder or video camera. He must have been hiding it well, because Lauren hadn't taken notice of his nervousness. Or maybe she did but didn't show it. "Bruce…"

He snaps out of his daze and casually says, "Who do you think I am?"

"Bruce, you came to me for help. I want to know who you think you are." Lauren knew he was much more than who the media portrayed him to be. She saw what many people did not or could not see. She looked at Bruce and narrowed her eyes. _'Maybe this was all a mistake coming here. I know who I am I'm… I'm Bruce Wayne, and The Batman is my escape; my chance to avenge my parent's deaths and to give back Gotham City what it needs,' _Bruce reassures himself for the time being. "Bruce," she says noticing that he had zoned out.

"What… Sorry. What was the question?" He pretended he didn't hear her question.

Lauren let's a small smile appear on her face. "I asked, who do you think you are?"

"I'm Bruce Wayne, the playboy and businessman. I own Wayne Enterprises and a hotel and I have a butler named Alfred."

She took some notes down on her yellow legal pad and then looked him straight in the eye. "Bruce, is this really you? I find it very hard to believe you think of yourself like that. The media likes to distort things, especially public figures like you. I can tell you're more than what you think you are and I want you to see that to."

Time passed on and the session was about to end. Lauren noticed Bruce looking at the big wall clock directly behind her on the wall. "Alright, I can see you obviously need to be somewhere you keep staring at my clock. Wednesday same time my office. You don't have a choice. I'll have Alfred drag you here." He nodded his head and stood up. She saw his eyes move to her over sized clock on the wall once again, it read: 5:45p.m. Evening was approaching and soon nightfall would consume Gotham City, and The Batman would be waiting.


End file.
